


Black Bulls: Origin

by bluelove22



Category: Black Clover - Tabata Yuki (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Origin Story, Black Bulls Squad as Family (Black Clover), Drabble, Mentioned Black Bulls Squad (Black Clover)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:22:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26918803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluelove22/pseuds/bluelove22
Summary: An alternate origin story about how the Black Bulls got their name (written before the actually story was revealed in the manga/anime).
Kudos: 30





	Black Bulls: Origin

“Do you know why we’re called the Black Bulls?”

Asta stopped mid-stretch to tilt his head in confusion at Finral. Despite the reaction Finral continued to complete his own stretches, an activity he’d grown to like after Asta had convinced him to join him a couple weeks prior.

“Isn’t it because all the other squads are named after a color and an animal?”

“No.”

“Oh, right. There’s the Golden Dawn which doesn’t stick to the animal theme. Is it because Yami is as strong as a bull and uses dark magic?”

“No, but honestly that fits pretty well too. Maybe I should give you a hint. Do you know how long the magic knight squads have existed? Rather, do you know when the Black Bulls specifically first came to be?”

The anti-magic knight racked his brain before his hands found his hair, ruffling it frantically as he let out a wail.

“I have no idea! I think Yuno did some reading on their history before the magic knight exam, but I was too busy training to pay attention. I always assumed they all formed so far in the past that no one remembers. Are you saying they formed at different times?”

The older member grinned. “Yep. Well, most of them formed at the very beginning. For the Aqua Deer and the Black Bulls, however, they formed much more recently. I’m not sure on how the Aqua Deer’s title came to be, but Yami himself was the one to choose our squad name after the current Wizard King told him he was to become a captain of his very own squad.”

“Whoa, really?” At this point Asta and Finral had given up on stretching and were sitting in the grass outside their base. “That’s so cool!”

“It is, isn’t it? Anyway, I remember taking the magic knight exam and hearing them announce a new squad called the Black Bulls. Everyone taking the exam was excited to meet the new captain. I remember people freaking out wondering if it was a girl, a guy, an adult, another kid, what type of magic he or she used, and so on. You could feel the energy in the air. People were so excited, because a new magic knight squad usually meant roughly five members were chosen. This meant everyone’s chances at being accepted into a squad rose.”

He took a deep breath before continuing, his smile slowly fading.

“Unfortunately, when the Wizard King announced Yami as the newest captain he was met with scrutiny. Between his introduction and when everyone was done displaying their skill rumors were going around about him being a foreigner without manners. I would guess people were wary enough not to join just because of those rumors, but I never found out because Yami wasn’t picking anyone to join his squad.”

“Seriously?” Asta gaped.

“Yeah. Nearly half of the people trying out for the magic knights went by without him showing an inkling of interest. One of the other captains noticed,” he explained with a grimace, “and made a comment about him being too picky about his members. I think he said something about Yami’s lack of ability to see talent, or maybe something about him being tasteless, I’m not sure. But man you should have seen it. That dark dimension slash actually cut the arena in half. It was terrifying, but amazing! Dozens of contestants left right there and then. And you should have seen the look on the other squad captains’ faces.”

The younger member nodded in agreement, a grin on his face. “I’d say I’m surprised, but that totally sounds like something he’d do. I can’t believe you were there to see it.”

Finral smiled fondly, his eyes looking at something far away.

“I got lucky, I think. To witness the beginning of Yami’s career as well as being chosen as the Black Bull’s first member. Well, the first member to be picked at the selection test.”

“Hold on a minute! You were the first member he picked? Really? I knew you were one of the oldest members, but to think you were the first one Yami chose…”

“Yep. I remember shaking I was so scared when he was the only one to raise his hand for me. Looking back on it now I was so cowardly I almost didn’t accept, and I think he knew that too. Part of me wondered if he already knew why I wanted to join the magic knights in the first place. Because I wanted to meet cute girls, have fun, and get away from the pressure of my family. I just wanted to escape reality back then more than help people.”

“Well I’m glad he chose you!”

Asta’s confident declaration made Finral blink in confusion.

“Maybe you originally wanted to be a magic knight for less heroic of reasons, but you’ve helped countless people all the same! Even when you’re scared you fight until you can’t anymore. Your spatial magic is crazy strong! Without it I’d surely be dead after all the battles we won because of your help. Not to mention you’re a really cool dude and the best senpai I could ask for!”

For a moment Finral felt pressure behind his eyes. He rarely got such praise, and to have it coming from a friend so honestly, well, it was almost enough to make him shed a tear.

Instead he forced himself to laugh, a hand moving to ruffle his subordinate’s hair.

“Thanks, Asta. That means a lot.”

“Hey man, I’m just saying what’s on my mind.”

“Always stay your honest self, you little brat.”

“Little? Not all of us can be giants like yourself,” he shot back.

Finral rolled his eyes. “I think we’ve lost track of the original point of the story.”

“Oh yeah. You were going to tell me why we’re called the Black Bulls.”

“Yeah. You see, after joining the squad and being taken to our base for the first time I had tons of time to go exploring. In the first couple months of being here Yami went out on what he called ‘solo missions’ a lot, leaving me here to watch over the base. I didn’t know at the time that he was more or less gathering other members by himself,” he added sheepishly. “I don’t think he liked having to choose from people participating in a spectacle in order to gain his favor. He called it fake, I think. He said he couldn’t judge character or strength well like that. Anyway, at one point I was pretty bored and tried my hand at reading some of the books in his study.”

“A lot of them were in another language,” he admitted, “so I couldn’t read them at all. However, there was one that was full of legends from where I can only assume is his homeland. One of them that got my attention was one about the black and white bulls.”

Asta was now leaning forward in rapt attention, eyes wide in wonder.

“The full story is really long, but basically the myth states there are two magic bulls that answer the prayers of people who summon them. One is good and will only assist a person with good intentions, and one is evil that will only assist in harming others. The ritual takes blood and sometimes even a sacrifice, but it is said once that is done the person doing the summoning has to make a choice between the two. Do they want the black bull or the white bull? In their culture white is the color most associated with things like heaven, angels, and purity. Black is usually equated with darkness, which makes sense with the comparison between the two. Because of this many people would choose the white one because it not only looked less terrifying, but people assumed the black bull was evil.

“But those people were very wrong.

“The truth of the myth is that the white bull would get summoned again and again by ignorant people who didn’t realize the white bull was actually the evil one. Despite the white bull killing most of those who summoned it, it still would get chosen more often than the black bull. Those who were smart or lucky enough to summon the black bull usually assisted in having to reign in the evil one. Survivors tried to pass on the message of the black bull being the good between the two, but over time people would forget and the cycle would repeat itself.”

“Whoa. So you’re saying he named us the Black Bulls because others looked at him like he was the bad guy and even look down on us as a group when we’re actually the best of the best?”

Finral tilted his head, arching an eyebrow all the while.

“I mean you can go with that, I guess, but I was actually going to say after reading the story I asked Yami about it and he told me the Wizard King named our squad that because Yami looks like a Black Bull when he’s angry.”

The stars in Asta’s eyes shattered.

“Are you kidding me?”

**Author's Note:**

> AN: Hello! For those that have been reading my writing for the past several years (or maybe you're new) I've been talking about publishing original content for the last couple years. Well, I've finally done it! As of today my debut novel "Another Word for Help" is up for pre-order on all the major channels. You can find information about the book itself, details on getting an advanced copy in exchange for a review, and more on my official author website which there is a link to on my profile page.


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